Appeals court hears case over kosher food in Florida prisons

Tuesday

Jul 12, 2016 at 9:38 AM

The Associated Press

MIAMI - A panel of federal appeals judges is considering whether Florida should be forced to provide kosher meals in its prison system.

The three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing oral arguments Tuesday in Miami in a case brought by the U.S. government. A judge previously ruled that Florida must provide kosher food to Jewish inmates and others who request them for religious reasons, but the state appealed.

Florida contends it could become too costly to provide the kosher meals to some 9,000 inmates and that it should be able to drop the program based on cost. Most other states and the federal prison system have kosher diet programs.

The lawsuit was filed under a law called the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

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